"AHM" 2006 Obituary

AHMAD o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-01-26 published
Cabbie killed by racing Mercedes
By Isabel TEOTONIO,
StaffReporter with files from Nick
PRON,
Henry STANCU,
DaleAnneFREED and David
GROSSMANCab driver Tahir
KHAN had just dropped off his last fare and
was headed south on Mount Pleasant Rd. It was 10: 20 p.m.
Racing north were two Mercedes driven by 18-year-olds, each pushing
140 km/h in a 50 km/h zone, police say. Next to one driver was
the popular video game Need For Speed.
As the Mercedes rounded a bend, the taxi made a left turn on
to Whitehall Rd. A loud crash shattered the still of Tuesday
night.
One of the Mercedes, a silver 1999 model, T-boned the taxi, drilling
it into a utility pole, police say.
KHAN, 46, died instantly, and the driver of the mangled Mercedes
escaped with just a few scratches. The driver of the other car
fled, returning to the scene after ditching his car a few blocks
away, posing as a bystander, police say.
It was a tragic end to
KHAN's life, which was brimming with hope
as he looked forward to becoming a Canadian citizen tomorrow.
It was a day he'd long looked forward to, because it meant he
was one step closer to being reunited with his wife, whom he
hoped to bring over from Pakistan.
The accused are university students -- believed to be studying
at Ryerson and York -- and both had attended St. Andrew's College,
a prestigious private school in Aurora, graduating in June 2004.
One played on St. Andrew's football team, and both were average
students who never got in trouble, said head football coach Courtney
SHRIMPTON.
One of them lives a tony neighbourhood just north
of the Bridle Path. Yesterday, police would not comment on whether
the cars belonged to the teens' parents.
As police yesterday questioned what influence the game may have
played and
KHAN's
Friends grappled with his death, the two accused
made a brief court appearance.
"It's a horrible irony," said Det. Paul
LOBSINGER about the presence
of the video game, which allows players to choose high-end cars
and race them through city streets while being pursued by police
cruisers.
"Some have said this is life imitating art but I don't know,"
said LOBSINGER, adding "a game is a game, but when you get behind
the wheel it's reality."
LOBSINGER described the game as an "ultra-violent driving simulation,
fighting simulation and criminal simulation."
"But are games the cause?" he asked. "Absolutely not. But, it
is rather ironic."
Police say alcohol was not a factor, and that it's not clear
if the video game was played before the two went out driving.
"I have no words to explain why this happened," said cabbie Muhammad
NASEEM, who was a friend of
KHAN's. "He was a very nice man,
very quiet, very polite, all the good words you can think of
can be used to describe him."
Earlier this week, recalled
NASEEM,
KHAN had told him that he
planned to return home to the district of Jhang, in Pakistan's
Punjab region.
KHAN's mother was ill and he wanted to be with
her. He also looked forward to visiting his brother, sister and
wife of 15 years, whom he's helped support since moving to Canada
almost six years ago.
He was looking forward to returning home as a Canadian citizen,
something he would have become during a citizenship ceremony
at the Scarborough Town Centre.
"He was so excited," said
KHAN's friend Munir
AHMAD, while visiting
the coroner's office to identify the body. "He was planning to
bring his family here."
Last night, a large group of Friends gathered at the east-end
apartment KHAN shared with Shahid
HASAN to call his family in
Pakistan and break the devastating news.
"He had lots of Friends," said
HASAN, who has lived with
KHAN
for the last five years in Scarborough. "He was a very kind man
who was helpful to everyone."
Jim BELL, manager of Diamond Taxi, said
KHAN had been with the
company for three years and called his death a tragedy for everyone
involved.
"Those kids must be feeling absolutely terrible and the parents
of these kids who were racing must be feeling devastated."
Charged with criminal negligence causing death are Alexander
RYAZANOV and Wang-Piao Dumani
ROSS.
ROSS is also charged with
failing to stop after an accident causing death.
Outside the courtroom where the two teens made a brief appearance
at bail court in College Park yesterday, the aunt of one described
them as "really good boys."
"It's tragic, it's horrible what happened. Now I am going to
be worried about him staying in jail with criminals."
Because lawyers for the pair weren't available, the two must
return for separate bail hearings --
ROSS tomorrow and
RYAZANOV
on Monday. Neither has a criminal record.
The two long-time Friends chatted quietly to each other as they
sat in the prisoner's box.
The Crown says it will oppose their release on two grounds: public
outrage over the death and the likelihood of reoffending.

AHMED o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-04-06 published
QURESHI,
HifzulKabeer
By Usman AHMED,
PageA22
Friend, scholar, linguist, poet, author, critic, columnist. Born
September 4, 1931, in Amarvati, India. Died October 12, 2005,
in Richmond Hill, Ontario, of heart and stroke complications,
aged 74.
Growing up in a dusty little town in India, who would have imagined
that one day his presence would be of immense importance to the
Indo-Pakistani community in Toronto. After early education he
moved to Nagpur, India for his M.A. in literature. During the
riots in 1950 his family moved to Hyderabad. Hyderabad proved
to be a fertile ground for his love of literature; he met many
scholars and poets. There he worked as a copywriter before getting
a teaching post at Nagpur University.
Afterward, he moved to Bombay (now Mumbai) as a freelance writer
where his social circle included famous Bollywood movie stars
of the day. In 1962, he left India for the U.S. After a brief
teaching stint at the University of Chicago, he immigrated to
Toronto in 1965 and worked for the Ontario government. However,
he never let go of his original passion for poetry and literature.
In 1967 he started an Urdu monthly, Sahba, and later another,
Armaghan. He established the Urdu Society of Canada. This society
organized many international events, conferences and symposiums.
His dedication to the Urdu language quickly earned him the title
of Baba-e-Urdu (father of Urdu) in Toronto literary circles.
I first met him in July, 1975. I had just started to work for
the Ministry of Housing. We met on a short elevator ride. At
the time there were very few South Asian faces in Toronto and
his warm welcome made me feel comfortable in a new city; we instantly
became Friends.
Once we were walking at lunch time when he found two five-dollar
bills on the sidewalk. He immediately gave me one saying we should
share this windfall. This sense of fairness permeated his character.
In 1960 he married Afroz, younger sister of literary figure Vajida
TABBASSUM.
Despite his literary interests and other activities he never
short-changed his family life. His younger son, Doctor Rifat
QURESHI,
tells me he remembers his father for his quiet strength and limitless
wisdom. "I was always testing my father, but when I would step
over the line - -- one look from him said it all." His first
daughter, Farah, says, "Dad had a great impact on me through
his actions rather than words. He had no time for idle gossip,
waving away such talk with a sense of irritation. He had nothing
but understanding and patience for other people's points of view
whether he agreed with them or not, he always respected them."
He was an excellent translator. Soon after arriving in Toronto
he translated a Government of Ontario booklet titled A Newcomer's
Guide to Services in Ontario into Urdu. He also translated many
literary works from Urdu and Farsi into English for the benefit
of English-speaking literature students. In 1988, he authored
An Anthology of Modern Urdu Poetry, considered an authoritative
source on the subject. More recently he was working on two books:
on cultural and religious issues facing immigrants to North America
and on the evolution of the Urdu language. He also took a keen
interest in religion, history and contemporary politics.
Kabir loved life. At parties he would entertain with recitations
of his latest poems. He enjoyed his Cuban cigars and only reluctantly
gave up smoking them during the final couple of years, based
less on his doctor's advice than on the spiralling cost of his
favourite brand.
In our 30 years of Friendship, I never heard him make a negative
comment about anyone. He was a true gentleman; he lived his life
with compassionate warmth, welcoming everyone with his heart.
Usman is a friend of Hifzul
QURESHI.

AHMED o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-03-21 published
BOWERMAN,
Millicent (née
HATTON)
Passed away peacefully, at the age of 87, with her family by
her side, at Saint_Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton. She was the loving
wife of George (predeceased 2004). Loving and caring mother of
Brian (wife Jennifer) of Ancaster, and Barry (wife Susan) of
Sudbury. Beloved sister of Louisa
REEVES, Joan
GRIFFITHS and
George HATTON (all predeceased.) Her compassion, wit and quiet
determination will be sadly missed by her grandchildren Hilary
and Nigel (Ancaster), Kimberley and Caitie (Sudbury). Grateful
acknowledgement to Doctors
AHMED and
THORNER for their compassionate
medical care administered over the years. Sincere thanks to the
Emergency Room, Critical Care Unit and C.T.U. staff at Saint_Joseph's
Medical Centre (Hamilton) for their efficiency and compassion
during her stay. Grateful acknowledgement to the Meadowlands
Retirement Residence (Ancaster) for making Millie feel so welcome
and providing her with an enjoyable friendly living environment
for eight months. A Service of Remembrance will be held at Turner and
Porter "Peel" Chapel, 2180 Hurontario Street, Mississauga on Wednesday
March 22, 2006 at 11 o'clock. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m.
For those who wish, donations may be made to the Heart and Stroke
Foundation.

AHMED o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-06-23 published
Shot teen had meek side
By Steve RENNIE,
StaffReporter with files from John
DUNCANSON
Duane CHRISTIAN was no saint. But the 15-year-old boy shot by
a Toronto police officer this week had a meek side, one that
made him reluctant to go down into his aunt's basement because
he was afraid of her cat.
It was this image that Delores
RICKETTS, a cousin of
CHRISTIAN's
mother Simone
WELLINGTON, couldn't get out of her mind yesterday
as she spoke about the teen's death on Tuesday after he was spotted
driving a stolen van.
Two officers patrolling the Scarborough Golf Club Rd. area saw
the white Dodge Caravan just before 5 a.m.
The pair chased the van and tried to corner it in the parking
lot of the Royaltown apartment building, at the corner of Lawrence
Ave. E. and Scarborough Golf Club Rd.
"If you're afraid of a little cat, how can you get caught up
doing all these wrong things?" said
RICKETTS, describing how
CHRISTIAN would sometimes stay at her Scarborough home when his
mother couldn't handle him.
"When he misbehaved, I'd take him here for a while to see if
I could make something out of him,"
RICKETTS said. "Their lifestyles
were a bit different from mine."
She said
CHRISTIAN would act up and show off when he was with
his Friends, but was a different person when he was alone.
Since he loved cars,
RICKETTS thought he would wind up working
at a dealership one day.
RICKETTS said
CHRISTIAN had been trying to contact his father,
whom he had never met. She remembered watching him make calls
during one of his visits and becoming angry when he couldn't
reach him.
"He tried. He tried to be accepted," she said.
Despite his troubled past, relatives came to
CHRISTIAN's defence
yesterday saying police overreacted when they shot and killed
the teen.
"They're not heroes, they're murderers," said Monique
CRAIG,
CHRISTIAN's 18-year-old cousin.
"They didn't have to shoot him. He didn't have no weapon."
The portrait that emerged from Friends and family is that of
a troubled teen who had bounced from school to school.
He had several youth convictions, including robbery.
CRAIG said
CHRISTIAN lived with a long-time friend for a time
after his mother kicked him out of the house a few years ago.
He had recently been living with his grandparents, Roy and Mori
WELLINGTON, in the Royaltown apartment building.
The apartment superintendent said only that
CHRISTIAN's grandparents
lived in the building, not the teen or his mother.
Several neighbours of
CHRISTIAN's grandparents said the family
was quiet and mostly kept to themselves.
Sahra AHMED, who has lived in the building for eight years, said
she didn't know the family well but never noticed anything out
of the ordinary.
"I'd see them in the hall sometimes and they seemed like a nice
family."
Special Investigations Unit investigators returned to the shooting
scene yesterday to take more photos as they piece together what
led to the fatal shooting.
More canvasses of area buildings are also being done as investigators
try to find witnesses: to the shooting.
An autopsy has been performed on the 15-year-old, but the Special
Investigations Unit is withholding that information until they
talk further with the family of the dead youth, said Rose
BLISS,
the Special Investigations Unit spokesperson.
Police sources indicated the officer fired into the passenger
side of the stolen white Dodge Caravan when the driver tried
to run down his partner.
Under the law, officers must feel there is an imminent danger
to themselves or others if they are discharge their weapon.
Funeral arrangements have yet to be made, the family said yesterday.